This invention relates to a method and apparatus for molding a synthetic resin lens for a light emitting diode.
Generally, a synthetic resin lens is molded on the end of a light emitting diode containing the light emitting element. In molding such a synthetic resin lens, a mold has heretofore been used to achieve molding whereby the free ends of lead frames are inserted into said molds and the molds are filled with synthetic resin, and a light emitting diode attached to the free end of the lead frame, together with the free end of the lead frame is inserted into the mold. In such conventional apparatus, however, no means is provided for accurately positioning the lead frame in the mold when the lead frame is inserted into the mold and, therefore, this poses disadvantages in that the position of the lead frame may be displaced from the desired position resulting in non-uniform products and further in that the light emitting diode is deviated from a reference position rendering the resulting products unacceptable.
The present invention eliminates these disadvantages noted above with respect to prior art techniques and principally provides a method and apparatus for molding a synthetic resin lens for a light emitting diode, in which a lens may be molded while positively maintaining a proper position and alignment of the lead frames relative to the lens being molded thereon.